Swing line



c. F. TEARS I 2,113,009

SWING LINE April 5, 1938.

Original Filed July 16, 1935 CLAUDE F. TEARS INVENTOR ATT RNEY Patented Apr. 5, 1938 I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFl-CF 2,113,009 SWING LINE Claude F. Tears, Warren, Pa., assignor to The Petroleum Processes Corporation, Wichita, Kans., a corporation of Kansas Original application July 16, 1935, Serial No; 31,567. Divided and this application July 1, g 1936, Serial No. 88,356

8 Claims. (oi. 210-51')' This invention relates particularly to improve- Fig. 3 is a broken perspective view of the offments in oil refining and is a division of copendtake and sampling spout at the end of the swing ing Patent 2,049,277 of July 28, 1936. line. r

In the art of separating solids and/or semi- The invention is illustrated in its application solids from liquids by settling, or separating 'imto the process of dewaxing and partially decolor- 5 miscible liquids by settling, it is highly desirable izing lubricating oil disclosed in the patent applito determine the exact line of demarcation becation Ser. No. 31,567. The operation of that tween the settled layer and the liquid or solution process involves the use of horizontal closed presabove it, so that the upper layer may be fully sure tanks, such as indicated at M. These are 10 removed unmixed with the separated or settled charged with a solution of oil in a normally gase- 10 layer. ous liquefied hydrocarbon, such as propane, In refining oils by settling from solutions of oil under pressure and the solution is chilled by in normally gaseous liquefied hydrocarbons, the evaporation of a portion of this solvent. The problem is complicated by the fact that the solchilled solution is then permitted to settle under vent being normally gaseous, must be held under a superimposed pressure in excess of the normal 15 pressure to keep it in the liquid state at temperavapor pressure of the solvent at the temperature tures above its normal boiling point. of the chilled solution. The wax and color con- The above mentioned Tears patent application stituents settle from the chilled mixture and for covers a dewaxing and partial decolorizing procproper operation of the process, it is essential to ess for lubricating oils involving separation of locate the top of thewaxy layer and to follow solid or semi-solid wax and solid or semi-solid it down until a time is reached when it ceases to color constituents from oil solutions in normally drop further and which then indicates that setaseous liquefied hydrocarbons by coldsettling tling is complete. 'It is then essential towithdraw under pressure. The earlier Tears Patent 2,000,- the oil solution above the waxy layer down to a 427 covers a process for the manufacture of high level as close as possible to the waxy layer and to 25 melting point wax by cold settling under presaccomplish this without removing any of the sure. In both processes, it is essential to deterwaxy layer. Failure to remove all the oily layer mine as near as possible the location of the waxy results in a loss of oil yield, while removal of part layer in a closed tank under pressure and to reof the waxy layer with the oily layer results in a move the supernatant oily layer as close as posfinished oil of too high color and too high pour 30 sible to the waxy layer. The swing line constructest. tion of the present invention accomplishes these I The adjustable Swing line. here disclosed, purposes. carrying with it a sample line, provides practical The objects of the invention, as will appear and efficient means for qui y and accurately 5 from the foregoing are to provide practical and determining the level of separation between the efficient means and method for accurately deteroil and the waxy layers and the means for withmining the different levels in a pressure settling draw the l d w to t waxy lay vessel and for effecting the removal of the select- In the illustration, the Sw line s s own as a ed layer or layers. horizontally extending pipe 68, rotatably mount- These broad objects and others of a more speed in a P ssu e Stuffing bOX ntially at 40 cific nature are attained in this invention by the t e center of the end heed'of the tank and av n novel method of operation, features of construcan angled inner end Portion m n n in tion, combinations and relations of parts, as here- I a t e- Spout and its Outer end o atably inafter described, illustrated in the accompanypl at to the Stationary a -01f line 34.

ing drawing and broadly covered in the claims. he sample line is indicated at carried by 45 The drawing accompanying and forming part or. incorporated in the swing line and as havingof the specification shows by way of illustration a e va d d c a at 3, at the outer d. uttypical embodiment of the invention, it being Side the talnkrealized that the structure may be modified in e (HT-take 19 10 is wn n g. 3 as various ways all within the true intent and broad t in ed d wn towarda plane substantially radial 50 scope of the invention. to the axis of rotation of the swing line to pro- Fig. 1 is a broken side elevation, partly in sec Vide a narrow inlet, which will be substantially tion showing the invention applied to' a chilling parallel. with all different levels of liquid, enand settling tank. abling a more, or less fine discrimination in all Fig. 2 is a broken end elevation of the same. iq id level adjustments. This thinned spout is 55 or other values.

sample taken by the sample line.

illustrated as widened along the axis parallel to the axis of rotation, to give it the full capacity of the pipe. The sample line is indicated as terminating centrally of the mouth of the spout, so as to take an accurate sample right at the center of the inlet to the swing line.

A hand lever or levers such as indicated at 14, 14', may be provided on the outer portion of the swing line and suitable securing means may be provided such as the screw clamp 15, cooperable with the quadrant 16. The handle or handles 14, 14', serve both as means for adjusting and securing the swing line and in conjunction with the quadrant, or the tank itself, as indicators for showing the position of the swing line within the tank. The quadrant, if desired, may be laid off in suitable indications of angle, height, volume The lower lever handle I4 is shown as extending in the same direction and terminating in line with the inlet mouth of the swing line within the tank, so as to provide at the outside of the tank an actual visual counterpart of .the swinging inlet within the tank.

The swing line is shown as equipped with valve 11, the stationary draw-off line 34, with valve 18, and the sample line with valve 13f by which these lines may be properly controlled.

With the construction and arrangement shown, the character of the material at any level in the tank can be quickly determined by withdrawing a sample after the swing line has been set at such level. When a suitable point of withdrawal has been determined, as by observation of samples, the swing line may be definitely secured as by the clamp 15, and the contents of the tank above that level removed through line 34, after opening I valves 11 and I8.

In the dewaxing and partial decolorizing process referred to, after the settling tank has been pressured off for about one hour, the swing linev isset at about'the middle of the tank and a small Ususally at this time, the waxy layer-has settled below the center of the tank. If it has settled below. the

. first setting of the swing line, the sample will be a clear bright solution. 11' it has not settled below this setting, the sample will be a dark waxy mixture. As the first setting near the central level of the tank will usually show the wax layer of the top of the waxy layer may thus be followed down through the tank during the whole settling period. When the. top of.the.waxy layer hasfailed to drop further for two consecutive 15 minute intervals, the settling may be consideredas finished and complete. The swing line may then be clamped in position and the oily layer above the location of the swing line inlet be forced or pumped out through line 34, with valv'es I1 and 18 open. x

The invention enables the exact locating 'ofthe top of .-the waxy layer, so much so that a variation of in vertical location of the swing line inlet will show a distinct separation between the oily and waxy layers. I

While of particular value for the settling operations disclosed, it will be understood that the invention may be employed for various other.

settling operations, especially those involving removal of a liquid layer from above settled solids or semi-solids or from other immiscible liquids heavier than the top layer or layers.

By mounting the rotatable swing line horizontally and substantially at the center ofthe tank and by arranging the same for a substantially complete rotation, the tank contents may be taken ofi from any level and from any portion of the tank. This is so because of the fact that the inlet mouth of the swing line ,can be made to sweep the entire peripheral portion of the tank.

.What is claimed is:

1. In combinationwith a closed horizontally extending pressure settling tank, a pressure stufiing box substantially centrally disposed in the end of said tank, a horizontally extending swing pipe entered in said tank and rotatable in said pressure stufllng box, said swing pipe having an angularly projecting extension within the tank and terminating in an inlet mouth, a stationary draw-cit pipe outside the tank, a swivel coupling between said draw-off pipe and the horizontal portion of the swing pipe, means for rotating said horizontal portion of the swing pipe to locate the inlet mouth at difierent levels in the tank, valve means for controlling flow through the swing pipe and a valved sample line carried by and adjustable with said swing pipe and having an inlet at the mouth of theswing pipe and a valved outlet outside the tank. I

2. In combination with a pressure settling chamber, a swing pipe rotatably entered in said settling chamber and terminating in a withdrawal spout inside said chamber and a sample line carchamber, a swing line rotatably mounted and having a withdrawal spout within the chamber anda handle for rotating said swing line outside the chamber, said handle projecting angularly from the center of rotation of said :swing line, a sector over which said handle operates and clamp means handle in various-angular positions with respect to said sector.

4. In combination, rotatably supported swing pipe, having an angular extension terminating in an inlet mouth and .1. sample line carried by said angular extension of said horizontally extending rotatably supported swing pipe and having an inlet at the mouth of said swing pipe.

between said handle and sector ior securing said.

V a horizontally extending 5. In combination with a tank, a horizontally journalled withdrawal pipe having an angular extension terminating in an inlet mouth within the tank, a smaller sample line extending from said inlet mouth through said withdrawal pipe beyond the supporting bearing forthe latter and a valved discharge outlet for thelsample line openin the material being' settled and taking samplesing until a point is reached where .the samples so taken indicate that settling has been sufliciently completed and then securing said off-take pipe and withdrawing the material through the offtake pipe at such level.

7. The herein disclosed method of settling materials in a closed pressure vessel and decanting the settled material therefrom, which comprises combining a sample line with an off-take pipe by mounting the sample line on the ofi-take pipe and movably supporting the ofi-take pipe within the pressure vessel so that said off-take and sample 'line may be simultaneously shifted to diflerent levels of take-ofi in said tank, gradually lowering the combined off-take and sample line through the material being settled and withdrawing samples through said sample line at difierent levels and then after samples so taken indicate that settling is completed, leaving the off-take pipe at such level and withdrawing the settled material through said oil-take pipe from such level.

8. In combination with a tank, a substantially horizontalbearing carried thereby, a swing pipe having a substantially horizontal portion journaled in said bearing and an angularly projecting portion within the tank and terminating in an inlet mouth, a stationary pipe in line with the substantially horizontally journaled portion of said swing pipe, a swivel coupling between said stationary pipe and said substantially horizontal portion of said swing pipe, a sampling tube carried by said swing pipe having an inlet in the region ofthe inlet mouth of said swing pipe, said sampling tube extending through the substantially horizontally journaled portion of said swing pipe and having an outlet between said horizontal bearing and the swivel coupling and valve means outside the tank for independently controlling said sampling tube and said swing pipe.

CLAUDE F. TEARS. 

